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“By steeping this earl grey for 2 minutes instead of 3 I suddenly have some thing yummy I can drink without additions, well except for a teaspoon of honey. However, that is just to round out the...”
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“I should just throw in the towel with Earl Grey, or perhaps I didn’t like Adagio’s blend. Or maybe I brewed it up incorrectly. :(
Whatever the case, this didn’t work for me this morning. This tea...”
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“I’ve taken to brewing this tea in Gong Fu style, using a very hot water and leaving the leaves in contact with the water only for 15-30 seconds. This method keeps the tea from becoming seriously...”
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196 Tasting Notes

By steeping this earl grey for 2 minutes instead of 3 I suddenly have some thing yummy I can drink without additions, well except for a teaspoon of honey. However, that is just to round out the bitterness at the end of the cup. Not sure why the last swallow was so bitter, but I was able to do a second steep, and that last swallow was bitter as well, even with the honey. Still, I enjoyed it enough to bump the rating..

I should just throw in the towel with Earl Grey, or perhaps I didn’t like Adagio’s blend. Or maybe I brewed it up incorrectly. :(

Whatever the case, this didn’t work for me this morning. This tea smells absolutely delicious – more like a Lady Grey than an actual Grey. I’ve had my nose permanently stuck in it since my Adagio order came in. It’s mouthwatering. And pretty, with the little blues and the dark black of the tea.

And it steeped up to a beautiful amber hue, with a very pleasant smell. Bergamot and citrus and floral.

But the taste left something to be desired for me. It was fairly smooth at the get-go, but then there was a really bitter kick at the end. Very bitter. As in, over-steeped tea, even though I followed the directions that Adagio gave for brewing this baby. Or maybe it was bergamot overload. The bergamot flavor here comes on stronger in the sipping than it does on the nose. Like really, really strong.

I think I need to lower the steeping time on this one significantly. I’m feeling fairly disappointed right now, though. I thought I was going to experience an Earl Grey revelation. As in, “Ahhh, now THIS is what Earl Grey is supposed to be.” I was able to finish the entire cup, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I hoped I would have. Maybe it’s time for me and Grey to part company – even though I really do love Twining’s Lady Grey.

I’ll keep experimenting with steeping time, though, and see if I can mellow this beast.

Preparation

Try another brand or come back to it later. You’re just getting started:) You may find that over time your tastes change. I started adding mint to everything and now I don’t think it’s all that great unless it’s iced… Or Adagio’s cocomint green… YUMMY!

I’m with Jillian – a lower steep time is a good place to start (I think Adagio does insanely long steep times on some of their teas). Milk will work, too, to smooth it out a little. I pretty much can’t drink EG straight – too strong. Cofftea also brings up a good point – try other brands. All EGs are not created equal!

Ohh, if you’ve got a tea place around there that sells Mariage Freres, they’ve got some great EG and EG-like teas. Rushka is one of my favs and their 1854 is good too but a more floral/jasmine-like EG. Pretty much everyone has their own spin to EG so don’t give up just yet!

The whole milk thing has been a thorn in my side for a while, since I’m lactose intolerant. :( I’m always hesitant to add soy since it has its own strong, nutty flavor that I’m afraid will overwhelm the tea. :(

I’m definitely going to lower the steep time, and see if I like it. The black tea in here didn’t seem like the best, either. I would never steep an Earl Grey for five minutes in bagged form (I’ve actually done 1-3 because they can get overwhelming very fast), but since I’m new to the loose leaf steeping, I’m unsure of the time-to-flavor ratios yet.

Mariage Freres is sold at Dean & Deluca, which are all over NYC, so I’ll try and pick up some gourmet French tea!

Most flavored teas aren’t as high quality as unflavored. I typically start with 3:30 for most flavored black and go from there. Mostly though it is personal taste and you’ll just have to play a little to find out what you like best. As a general rule, the larger the pieces of leaves, the more time it can take without getting bitter.

MF also has a Lady Grey that is good. Just tell them you are looking for an EG or Lady EG and they should give you lots of options to choose from.

Not sure what to tell you about the milk substitute. I’ve used non-dairy creamer before so maybe something like that? If you decide you want to go the additive route.

I LOVE Earl Grey, but I hated Adagio’s version. SpecialTeas’ Earl Grey de la Creme is a great one to start with if you’re just trying Earl Grey for the first time. They also have several other Earl Grey blends that I hear are great, including a new one that’s heavy on the citrus.

I love Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo, however, I too have found that following the brew instructions makes for a not-so-tasty cup of tea. I would definitely suggest the brew instructions that caustiq posted.

This tea is definitely best with just a small teaspoon of tea per cup and boiling at 4 minutes, not 5. It packs a punch, so 5 minutes is much too long, IMO. Hope you’ve tried it again with other prep settings! :)

I’ve taken to brewing this tea in Gong Fu style, using a very hot water and leaving the leaves in contact with the water only for 15-30 seconds. This method keeps the tea from becoming seriously over brewed and bitter, which happens VERYFAST with this tea. Latest batch is a bit light on the bergamot.

Preparation

Good idea! This is how I tend to brew Yunnan teas – they are so strong they make me feel like I am going to rocket out of the stratosphere! They taste sweet and full of caramel when brewed Gong Fu style.

Went back to a staple this morning (although I am nearly at the end of my tin, and Adagio is still out! >:O )

Oh Earl Grey Bravo, you are the best Earl Grey. Why do I even try other Earl Greys, when you are so delicious and so good at letting early morning abuse roll off of you? You do not taste like soap, or like paper, you just taste like Earl Grey, super tasty Earl Grey. Perhaps there are better Earl Greys, but you also have the benefit of being relatively cheap! That is why I love you best.

Get back in stock sooooooooooooon

Preparation

I have been so! busy! – can you believe this is my first cup of tea since my last tasting note on Tuesday? I got to the point just now that if I didn’t make myself a cup of tea I would have a temper tantrum!!

Anyway! This tea, of course, tastes like the most wonderful tea ever brewed at any time by any person…ever! The citrus is delightful, the tea tastes wonderful, it’s brewed perfectly, the milk and sugar are just the right amount. On any other day, it would have been a quite good cup of tea, but today…it’s the pinnacle of deliciousness!!!

All is good in the world again, now that I have had this cup of tea! Thank you tea! And thank you Bethany, who sent me this tin :)

EDIT: did another infusion, and it’s still very flavorful! I’m surprised!

Preparation

To me (and this may just be me) the leaves of this tea smell EXACTLY like Froot Loops. In fact, I was having childhood flashbacks just sticking my nose in the tin.

After the recommended steeping, the tea has a sweet, flowery aroma that’s both pleasant and powerful. Again, it’s very reminiscent of Froot Loops, and brings to mind the idea of smelling sugary. (Not sure if that’s even possible, but hopefully you know what I mean. It smells like the sugar coating on a bowl of Froot Loops.)

In terms of taste, this tea has a definite sweetness to it, as well as a bite on the edges of your tongue where the tart/tangy nature of the tea comes through.

There’s also a lingering, sugary sweetness to the flavor that rounds out the Froot Loop experience. It sounds crazy, but the association was so strong, it was hard to ignore.

Overall, I enjoyed this tea, and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys sweeter, flowery flavors.

Split open my sample of this today to make a few lattes. I don’t make them very often, because I’m lazy, but this is my third today… and I’ve started practicing latte art too! There was a heart in the foam here :)

Not sure if this should go under chance combinations or straight, but I mixed in a bit of lavender. I don’t like Earl Greys plain, but as an ingredient in other things I don’t mind them.

Sad night. Watched Interlochen’s Les Preludes webcast. Cried. Brought back so many memories. I probably go back to that night daily, the last time I was there, but I’ve forgotten what it was like, really.